Lviv syrnyk (cheesecake)

What it is

Lviv syrnyk is not a cheese pancake, but a large baked cheese pie. Its secret lies in the rich homemade cottage cheese, which is carefully strained through a sieve to achieve a silky texture. Egg yolks, butter, sugar, lemon zest, and raisins are added to the cheese, while whipped egg whites are folded in at the end. To help the dish hold its shape, a bit of semolina, starch, or boiled potatoes is included.

The syrnyk is baked in a rectangular form, sometimes on a thin shortcrust base, cooled, and then covered with chocolate glaze. It is served cold, cut into rectangles.

It is baked for Christmas and Easter, but also on regular Sundays; in Galicia, it is customary to bring homemade syrnyk when visiting, and in Lviv's cafes, it has become one of the culinary symbols of the city.

Similar pies exist in Polish (sernik) and Austrian (Topfentorte) cuisines, but Galicians consider syrnyk to be their own, 'mom's': the magazine 'Ї' notes that a Galician child longs for their mother's syrnyk throughout their life.

History and name

Cheese pies made from pureed cheese have a long history in Galician cuisine: Easter syrnyk is mentioned by memoirists from the early 20th century. The modern version with chocolate glaze is often associated with the recipe of cook Daria Tsvik in her book 'Sweet Pastries' (Lviv, 'Kamenyar'); however, similar recipes existed in Galicia long before her.

This is an urban tradition: according to researcher Marianna Dushar, the multiculturalism of Lviv has created a composite urban cuisine influenced by Polish, Austrian, Jewish, Lemko, and Hutsul traditions. A similar syrnyk made from pureed cheese, raisins, and zest, baked for Christmas and Easter, has also been recorded in Boyko villages of the Drohobych region.

Ingredients and allergens

Variant: with raisins and chocolate glaze

Curd cheese (tvaroh)1 kg of rich homemadeFresh cheese for hombovtsi and filling for palačint; for dough, use dry, not very fatty cheese.Contains allergens: milk

Eggs4–8 pcs.Chicken eggs — for the dough of hombovtsi, palačint, pasky, and deruny.Contains allergens: eggs

Butter50–200 gButter is placed on slices of kulesha, used to grease riplianka, and to fry breadcrumbs for hombovtsi.Contains allergens: milk

Lemon (zest and juice)zest of 1Grated zest is used to flavor cheese mass and strudel filling.

Chocolate100–200 g for glaze, to serveMelted chocolate — the glaze that covers Lviv cheesecake.Contains allergens: milk, soy

Semolina1–2 tbsp., optionalBinds the cheese dough for hombovtsi.Contains allergens: gluten

Also: potato (1–2 boiled potatoes, optional), raisins (100–150 g, optional), sugar (150–300 g), salt (a pinch)

Contains allergens: milk, eggs, soy
Depending on how it is served, may contain: gluten
Diet: vegetarian · gluten-free

Variant: on a shortcrust base with cocoa

curd cheese (tvaroh), eggs, sugar, butter, wheat flour, cocoa, baking soda, lemon (zest and juice), raisins

Contains allergens: gluten, milk, eggs
Diet: vegetarian

Ingredients of the traditional recipe; every cook and every place may do it differently — please ask when ordering. We cannot guarantee the absence of allergens or traces.

How it is traditionally made

Serves: 1 large form (12–16 pieces) · Cooking: 45 min

• Curd cheese (tvaroh) — 1 kg of rich homemade
• Eggs — 4–8 pcs.
• Butter — 50–200 g
• Sugar — 150–300 g
• Semolina — 1–2 tbsp.
• Potato — 1–2 boiled potatoes
• Lemon (zest and juice) — zest of 1
• Raisins — 100–150 g
• Chocolate — 100–200 g for glaze
• Salt — a pinch

1. Thoroughly drain the cheese and strain it twice through a sieve or grind it to ensure there are no lumps.
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Mix the yolks with part of the sugar and add to the cheese along with melted butter, semolina or pureed boiled potatoes, lemon zest, and washed, dried raisins.
3. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form, then gently fold into the cheese mixture.
4. Grease the form with butter and line it with paper (or place a thin shortcrust base at the bottom), pour in the mixture, and smooth the top.
5. Bake at 170–180 °C for 45–60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center no longer trembles. Cool, then refrigerate for a few hours.
6. Melt chocolate with a tablespoon of cream or oil and pour it over the syrnyk on top and sides; let the glaze set.

How it is served

Cold, cut into rectangles, served with coffee or tea. Some people place raisins not in the cheese but on the plate, as not everyone likes them.

Variants

Some families use semolina, others use boiled potatoes or starch; there are syrnyks without a base and on shortcrust pastry with cocoa, which is grated under and over the cheese mixture.

The traditional method as described by our sources; every family does it its own way. We have not tested this recipe in a professional kitchen.

Where it is eaten

The area is approximate and based on the sources below. The dish is cooked outside it too, and ethnographic borders are blurred.

Lviv and Galician towns and villages of Lviv region; an urban tradition, not a mountain one. A similar syrnyk is also baked in Boyko villages of the Drohobych region.

When it is eaten

Occasions: Everyday food · Christmas · Easter

In tradition

Syrnyk is baked for Christmas and Easter, but also on weekdays. It is customary in Galicia to bring homemade syrnyk when visiting, and hostesses compete to see whose turns out best.

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